On May 18, 2026, Niger finally reach agreement with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), dem ending wahala wey don dey for more than one year.Under the new memoranda, Niger go get 45% share for WAPCO, CNPC local subsidiary.Management positions wey Niger people dey hold go jump from 30% to 60%, while 80% of operational jobs go reserved for national workers.Pipeline transport tariff don reduce from $27 to $15 per barrel, wey go save Niger about $106 million (60 billion XOF) every year.

This deal come as Niger oil production don stabilise at 110,000 barrels per day since 2024 wey Niger-Benin pipeline begin dey run, giving Niger direct access to Atlantic coast for export.

Niger dey plan other projects like refinery for Dosso, gas processing, strategic fuel storage, and the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline connecting Nigeria to Algeria for European market supply.Around 70% of Niger land na sedimentary basins, and 8 oil blocks covering 240,000 km² still dey for exploration.Niger model dey draw attention across West Africa as other countries like Chad dey look to copy am.The deal show say Niger fit negotiate better terms without wahala like nationalisation, using strategic leverage over pipeline access.This agreement dey part of bigger African resource nationalism trend since 2022.The government dey move to shift Niger from raw oil exporter to full energy value chain participant, while still keeping foreign partners onboard.